Question

In a class of 40 students 1/5 of the total number of students like to study English, 2/5 of the total number like to study Mathematics and the remaining students like to study science. How many students like to study Mathematics?

Answer 1

Hint: To solve this type of question we go for putting \[\dfrac{1}{5}\] and \[\dfrac{2}{5}\] to the total number of students to obtain the number of students who like to study English and the number of students who like to study Mathematics respectively.

Complete Step-by-Step solution:
Given that the total class is of 40 students, where \[\dfrac{1}{5}\] of the total strength of the class like to study English, \[\dfrac{2}{5}\] of the total strength of the class like to study Mathematics, and the remaining students Like to study science. We have to calculate the number of students who like to study mathematics.
Now, if \[\dfrac{1}{5}\] of the total number of students like to study English in a class of 40, then,
\[\Rightarrow 40\left( \dfrac{1}{5} \right)=8\]
Therefore, there are 8 students who like to study English.
Likewise, we have \[\dfrac{2}{5}\] of the total number of students who like to study Mathematics in a class of 40.
\[\Rightarrow 40\left( \dfrac{2}{5} \right)=16\].
Therefore, the total number of students who like to study Mathematics are 16 out of 40 students.
Hence, we obtain the answer as 16 students like to study mathematics out of the total 40 students.

Note: The possibility of error in this question is not using the correct given ratio to calculate the number of students who like to study mathematics and the number of students who like to study English separately. Also always multiply the ratio with the total number of students and not with the individual groups.